I'M AN OLD PRO AT THIS BY NOW...

posted Tuesday, 26 July 2005

Somehow I had convinced myself that this second surgery would be a walk in the park. Last time, the lymph node surgery under my arm hurt way worse than the lumpectomy, so I figured this would be a piece of cake. I went into the hospital like an old pro. The nurse who prepped me didn't give me any valium - and when the anesthesiologist offered me some, I told her I was doing ok...
It's interesting to watch the reaction of medical professionals when they meet me. Dr Cairoli (the oncologist) has seen other young women, but folks like the medical lab personnel, and even the anesthesiologist can't help but look surprised "How old are you?"... "Do you have any family history?".... But I am getting used to it.
Except for the fact that anesthesiology never returned my calls inquiring about my instructions (can I eat or drink anything), everyone I've met at Princeton Medical Center has been really great. One of my favorites: Kim, my "driver" who took me to the OR. His cousin is a blues singer (I can't remember his name, but he has a gold record and he will be playing in the jazz festival in Palmer Square on September 17th... I am so there!)
On TV, they always have the patient count backwards from 10 as they put them to sleep. All I remember is Dr D asking the anesth. to make sure that I was good and comfortable... and then waking up in the recovery room. To be honest, I feel a little bit jipped.
While the first surgery I had used general anesthesia, this time they used Diprovan (which causes a "conscious sedation" - though I fell right asleep). I woke up from the surgery much better this time. Fairly quickly, I downed 2 cups of cranberry juice (the little plastic juice containers, with the foil lids, that you got in grade school or when you give blood) and a packet of graham crackers (unlike last time, where when they finally sat me up, I thought I was going to boot). I got dressed and was out of there by 5:30pm (surgery was at 3pm - Keep in mind, last time, I was in recorvery for 4 hours and still booted on the way home). On the way home, I felt so good that we went out to dinner! Amazing in contrast to the way I felt after the first procedure!
We got home and got settled in bed to watch "Sweet Home Alabama", when I started to get really sore. I think the local anesthetic was wearing off and the pain came on quickly... Initially, I figured I would take percocet for the first night and then be all set, but man, I am sore. Even my ribs are sore - it feels like someone punched me. I'm fine laying down, but anytime I try to sit up, or worse, walk, I am in fairly significant pain. The hospital called today and said that the pain should subside by tomorrow, and if not, I should call Dr D. Let's hope it does!
Thanks to my friends for taking care of me after surgery:
• Bonny (for taking me to the hospital & for the pelvis push when I woke up from surgery really needing to use the bathroom... and for lending me Sweet Home Alabama, even though it paused every 5 seconds)
• Nancy (for babysitting me overnight - for waking up in the middle of the night to check on me... for making me breakfast and bringing me ice cream...)
• Maupin (for bringing me lunch and visiting with me)
• Heaton and Jess (for bringing me dinner... and my car!)
I've decided that with my free time I am going to re-read Harry Potter from the beginning and then check out the latest book. So, I had better get reading!
Links:
• Harry Potter Books: http://www.jkrowling.com/
• So... I was looking for a link to Diprovan and here is what I found... does this make me a "humanoid"? http://www.federationspace-rpg.net/medical/pharmaceuticalstype.html

Comments:


ANITA BROWN MADE THIS COMMENT,
Linda ~
Diana just sent us a note about you ... I was so sorry and sad to hear about it. I've read some of your blog - and you are right ... you are so young ~ and make sure to use that to your advantage and fight this.
My mother has just celebrated her 21st year anniversary. We found out almost 21 years ago today that she had cancer of the breast and lymphnodes. I know that since that time they have made such great strides in surgery, treatments.
My prayers are with you ~ please know your CDC family is rooting for you. Take care, and please keep us updated.
God bless, Linda ~
Love, Anita
comment added :: 26th July 2005, 19:21 GMT-05
ULTICHICK MADE THIS COMMENT,
Linda- memorable events/things I learned/things I want you to know from my stay: 1. not to watch "sweet home alabama" on your dvd player. ever. 2. We need to find a stick to put in the back sliding glass door. 3. Your ice machine works better without gross green mint chocolate chip ice cream in the way. 4. My back would probably like your goddess mattress better than the guest room bed, but my violent sleeping tendencies override my back problems any day of the week. 5. I didn't leave you in the middle of the night. I would never leave you!!
comment added :: 26th July 2005, 20:43 GMT-05
MOM MADE THIS COMMENT,
I am SOOOOOO glad that you have such great friends there to help you!!!! Tell them "Mom says thank you."
comment added :: 28th July 2005, 03:25 GMT-05
UNCLE VINNIE MADE THIS COMMENT,
I hope and pray you are doing well and thank you for this great update. I spoke to your Aunt Doris about this and she really thinks you will be fine but is too busy right now with her dad and grandparents but will look out for your well being. It is really weird when I talk to her but I feel she is not ready to welcome you yet to her world. I just hope you get this cancer over with and get on with a fabulous life without too much pain and suffering. Miss you and love you Uncle Vinnie
comment added :: 28th July 2005, 18:46 GMT-05
BONNY MADE THIS COMMENT,
Yeah, you are welcome for the bladder thrust. no one else would have done it:)
i will say, as a health care professional (i mean, as professional as i can get) it's not so easy being this close to the heart of the matter. i've never had such a personal relationship with one of my 'patients'- but it just puts things even more in perspective for me as a nurse practitioner. helps me relate more to what my actual patients are going through. and hopefully i handled things well enough for you, linda.
here's to sweet home alabama- with or without 5second delays. i feel like the 5 second delays actually made things better since i never want that movie to end...
and you definitely need a stick for your back door.
word,
comment added :: 28th July 2005, 20:38 GMT-05
JUDY PICARILLO MADE THIS COMMENT,
Linda,
Just wanted to let you know that I am praying for you. Was sorry to hear the news but I have been reading your comments, and I have to say it is pretty interesting to follow you all the way through this procedure. You are such an upbeat person and have such a good attitude. My sister-in-law went through breast cancer and was also upbeat and determined to beat it, and she did. Take care and keep in touch. It sounds like you have great support from family and friends.
comment added :: 29th July 2005, 15:24 GMT-05
GRAMMY & GRAMPY MADE THIS COMMENT,
Have been following your battle, and congratulate you on your attitude. We know it's not as easy as you try to make it sound. Remember that our prayers are with you. Love, Grammy and Grampy
comment added :: 2nd August 2005, 10:51 GMT-05
LEONOVICH MADE THIS COMMENT,
Thanks for taking the time to update those friends and family members who aren't close enough to be there by your side. I, too, am deeply impressed with your strength in this fight. You make me proud. Keep on posting...
comment added :: 2nd August 2005, 14:14 GMT-05
ALYSSA MADE THIS COMMENT,
Linda~
You have such a great attitude toward all of this! You are an amazing person. I love you so much, and really hope that we see you at the Hideout soon! You are always in my prayers!
Love always, Alyssa
P.S. I finished the latest Harry Potter book, and it is GREAT!! I hope you like it!
comment added :: 3rd August 2005, 14:07 GMT-05
PAUL MADE THIS COMMENT,
Linda, Mike filled me in on the news. I wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you! Keep being strong! Love, -Paul-
comment added :: 3rd August 2005, 21:21 GMT-05

[EVENT] 8/8 - FIRST CHEMO SESSION (TENTATIVE)

posted Sunday, 24 July 2005

Date: Monday, 25 July 2005 , 12:00 AM — Monday, 8 August 2005, 12:00 AM
Duration: 5 days 36 hrs

event 8/8 - First Chemo Session (tentative)

[EVENT] 7/25 - SURGERY

posted Sunday, 24 July 2005

Date: Monday, 25 July 2005 , 01:00 PM — 08:00 PM
Duration: 7 hrs

Princeton Medical Center
Re-excision of the tumor site
Only 1 hour of surgery this time... Starts at 3pm, but I have to be there at 1pm. I will likely be in recovery for a few hourse before I can go home... Bonny is going with me and bringing me home afterwards. Nancy will be my overnight nurse (thank you Bonny & Nancy!)

IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERRRRE (HOUSEWARMING)

posted Saturday, 23 July 2005

So I decided that I had better get to it and have a housewarming party before treatment starts and such (I'm not sure how much I'll feel like hosting a big shin-dig while they are pumping me full of toxins!)
So I invited over 100 of my closest friends (40 of whom showed, which is a pretty good hit rate, considering about 25 of the invitees live all over the globe and the invite served more as a "new house announcement" than a real invitation - though I would have loved to have had surprise guests from London, etc!)
I know that my neighbors loved the constant scampering of folks through their yard to collect stray plastic cups that went flying off the sticks (Anne came out to say hi)... and I'm sure they enjoyed the fireworks display (I however was a bit nervous and had to request an early end to the fireworks demonstration)... and I'm even more sure that they were thankful when we moved the party inside and fired up the KARAOKE MACHINE!
Yes - that's right, I now own a karaoke machine, two mics and a handful of CDs... Super thanks to the Nutt Hut... besides the Christmas morning when my brother and I were led downstairs with our eyes closed and opened them to see our brand new computer, and possibly last summer when I opened up my TIVO, this may have been the most excited I've ever been about a present (no offense to those who brought gifts of plants, bullet-proof glasses and vases... those gifts were wonderful too - thank you!)
Thanks to all those who participated. I had a fantastic time and hope that you did too. I will try to get photo documentation up on line for your viewing pleasure (some of you, who shall remain nameless, will be thankful that you edited the pictures on my digital camera last night!)
The party MVPs were: Bonny, Mellen and myself (I know it's cheesy to award myself, but I am fairly certain that I earned the recognition).
Honorable mentions go to those who made critical and/or outstanding contributions:
B Lo (for bringing more beer)
Maupin & Regetz (ping pong balls)
Vlad (for bringing the "cups" game)
Elyssa (sparklers & fireworks)
The Nutt Hut (karaoke machine)
Harrison, Ian, J & Jim (for manning the grill and making sure we all ate)
Jessica, Julie, Elyssa & Shelly (for helping to clean up the mess)
For those of you who missed it, the next party I throw will be in 2006 - mark your calendars because it will not be one to miss!

here we go again...

posted Wednesday, 20 July 2005

Surgery is scheduled for Monday, July 25 at 3pm.
It should only be an hour this time (as opposed to 3 hours last time) and won't require a general anesthesia (thank goodness!) They will go in through the same incision and just take out a little more tissue to be a bit more aggressive. When I called Dr D's office, her nurse told me that her first OR opening is Aug 8... much too far away and too long to wait to get things started. So, I called Dr D directly, on her cell... I mean, she wouldn't have given me her cell # if she didn't want me to call, right ?
(as an aside... this reminds me of my high school days - pre Katie Burns. While many will find this hard to believe, I was *incredibly* shy before I met that girl... something about our friendship lit a spark in me and broke me free from my shell... anywho... I would be so scared to call people and ask them to hang out... go to the mall... etc... these people had written in my yearbook things like KIT, don't ever change and LYLAS, with their phone #, yet for some reason, I was terrified that if I called them, they would think "why is this loser calling me?" I guess there's something to be said for a little bit of self esteem)
So, I gave her an update and she promised to squeeze me into her schedule for early next week (this week she is volunteering as the doctor at her nephew's summer camp). And today, I got the call that we are on for Monday... so there you have it... Dr D rocks.

Oncology 101

posted Friday, 15 July 2005

Today was my first visit to an Oncologist. I met with Dr Cairoli, at Fox Chase Virtua Health, in Mt Holly. Annette met me there - thank goodness - as good as I was at navigating Princeton Medical Center, this place was a maze! Hem/Onc is on the 4th floor - I never would have found it. (Now, as hard as it was to find the oncology floor, it was even harder to find a parking spot! Annette told me to just ignore the signs across the street and park in the surgical lot...)
A nurse did my height/weight/bp (lost 3 pounds, which is a miracle, bc the "comfort foods" i've been allowing myself tend to be on the less than healthy side - think: cake, ice cream, doritos, mac & cheese... )
Dr Cairoli and I played 20 questions for a while (he had my records from Dr Dultz, but he wanted a full history as well). Next was a quick exam. According to Dr Cairoli, it appears that I am currently "cancer-free". Good news. He then outlined a brief history of breast cancer treatment, leading up to the current standard of care, which he recommends for me....
• STEP 1: Re-excision of the tumor site, to clear the margins
• STEP 2: Dose Dense AC (Adriamycin + Cytoxan) every 2 wks x 4 cycles (with Neulasta, which is a self-injection administered after chemo, to stimulate white blood cell production)
• STEP 3: Dose DenseTaxol or Taxotere Q 2 wks x 4 cycles (with Neulasta)
• STEP 4: Radiation Therapy (daily, for several weeks, following the chemo)
• STEP 5: Tamoxifen orally x 5 years post chemo (since my tumor was hormone receptive)
Everything sounds like something I can handle... except maybe the self injections. good thing I'm in good with the old "mayhem medic van"...
So it's interesting... basically, chemo works by seeking out rapidly growing cells (of which cancer is one type) and killing them while they divide. It is given in "cycles" because not all cells are dividing at any one time and we want to kill all the cancer cells. your body is given time to recover between cycles, because the cancer cells are not the only cells that chemo attacks. It also attacks your hair follicles, your digestive tract & your bone marrow (which are all fast growing cells)... this also explains the side effects associated with chemo (hair loss, nausea/vomiting & low blood counts/reduced immunity)... I consider myself fortunate that I am not going through this 20... or even 10 years ago... modern medicine is really a wonder. Not only has the treatment improved tremendously (rendering cancer a curable disease) but there are many treatments now that help negate the side effects (neulasta, anti-emetics, etc)
I have to go for one more test - a muga scan (MUltiple Gated Acquisition scan) is a noninvasive test that produces a moving image of the heart, which is used to assess the health of the heart’s major pumping chamber (the left ventricle). Adriamycin can apparently be toxic to the heart muscle, and careful monitoring is required. This will serve as a baseline - and actually there shouldn't be much worry because I am only getting 4 cycles of Adria... it's more of a precaution to make sure my heart is starting out strong (I know my heart is starting out strong. Despite the folks who have tried to break it, it keeps healing and coming back stronger than ever!)
So other than the heart thing, other potential side effects of the chemo include:
• hair loss (he pretty much guaranteed that i would lose my hair... including eyelashes, eyebrows, leg hair....)
• nausea & vomiting (though mostly just with the AC and hopefully controllable)
• fatigue (due to the reduced blood counts... and cumulative over time)
• low blood counts (though countered with the neulasta... could lead to reduced ability to fight infection)
However - Dr C said there are no restrictions on what I can or can not do... if I want to work - great! if I want to go to a crowded movie theater - fine! Travel - ok! So that makes me feel better- my life will not go on hold for this (slow motion, perhaps... but definitely not hold!) I will not let this run my life... it may change things, but I am still in charge.
Links
• MUGA scan http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/otherriskfactors/l/blmuga.htm
• Chemo (in general) http://www.breastcancer.org/tre_sys_chemo_idx.htmlhttp://www.headcovers.com/
• Dose Dense Chemo http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/dosedense
• Feel free to give me suggestions for my new look (there is one called the "Linda Turban", but they look a little hot (perhaps that can be incorporated into my "fall look") (I also may need a cowboy hat for my trips to Prospectors)

HI HO... HI HO... IT'S OFF TO WORK...ERR... ROCHESTER... I GO!

posted Thursday, 14 July 2005

So, Tuesday, I was driving into the office and all of a sudden had this desire to be at home, in Rochester... so I turned around at Harrison Rd (after a 30 minute drive) and drove back home, packed a bag and headed north. My father recently accepted a job in Lancaster, PA, so they are in the process of getting our house ready to sell. With so much uncertainty of where things are headed in my near future, I felt like I needed to be sure to get home and spend some time there. I have my first oncologist appointment this Friday and if he says "let's start next week", I don't want there to be anything that I was wishing that I had taken the time to do (though I can think of a thousand things I'd rather be doing than starting chemotherapy!)
As I headed home,to pack a bag, the radio pronounced "it's not a good day for travel, with the turnpike closed in both directions on the northeast extension..." sweet... the drive took just over 6 hours from my new place... so add to that the 30 minutes into work & 30 minutes home and I was in the car for well over 7 hours. I must have been holding my left arm on the wheel funny, because I got a funny spasm in my left shoulder/back, right around Allentown (which is not even halfway home)... made for a pleasant trip!
There were so many people that I wanted to see in Rochester... and so little time (I had to be back Friday to meet Dr Cairoli). Tuesday night, I walked in the door and mom told me we were going to dinner with the neighborhood. Lovely - but I was exhausted. I mustered up some energy and headed out. It was really great to see Barb, Rick, Jon, Margie and especially Bob Long :) Somehow, despite the fact that 3 of them work evenings, all of them were available at last minute notice to visit...
So it turns out that my new space foam mattress has totally ruined me... I could not fall asleep in my parents rock-hard guest bed to save my life. Around 2am I relocated to the couch downstairs and managed to get a little bit of sleep.
Wednesday, I went to my cousin Jaclyn's 4th birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's. Now, amazingly enough, Chuck E Cheese's has come a long way since I was a kid. I remember this one ride that was basically a little seat, stuck onto a big wheel... that you put your token in and it just rotated... the chair went up around and down... wheeee! Now, they have all these rides - Bob the Builder, Barney, Airplanes, Cars... the rides even take your picture and spit out a computer photograph.... it was crazy... the pizza is every bit as good as I remember and the prizes every bit as lame. With 30 tickets, we managed to win a packet of smarties (15 tickets) and a cheesy plastic bracelet (15 tickets)... 15 tickets for 1 packet of smarties?!?!? what a scam.
Afterwards, Donna (my cousin), and her 3 daughters: Jaclyn (almost 4 yrs), Lauren (2 yrs) & Ashley (6 wks) came back to my parents house. My friend Katie also came over with her daughters: Emma (4 yrs) & Bridget (6 months)... all I can say is that it was total craziness...little girls everywhere! I also got to visit with our dear friend Peg. Peg shared a duplex with my parents in Hawaii, where I was born. As the stories go, I used to go over to Peg's as a child and she fed me crackers. I got to catch up with Griff on the phone, but didn't have time to see him in person, which was unfortunate... if only his 3 daughters had been in town, we could have made it into a real party! Though it was tiring, it was fantastic to spend time with such great friends and family and to spend time with their families... it is one thing I miss about being so far away... watching one of my closest friends from adolescence be a "mom" was touching in a way i will not easily forget. i wanted to hug her children tight and say - "do you know how lucky you are to have such a terrific mom? she's one of the dearest friends in my life... and you get to have her take care of you every day!"
Thursday I slept in a bit and then headed back on the road. I stopped to see an old friend who I haven't seen in many months, to give him the news. I guess there were just certain people in my life (even those from my previous lives...) who I wanted to give the news to personally. I'm not sure why. I guess I just thought about how I would feel about hearing the same news about them "through the grapevine" and I didn't like how that felt. No matter how hard it is to actually break the news (there's no good way to do it... at least I haven't found one yet and I've been practicing for a month now), it's always harder to watch their reaction. I hate to see people I care about upset/distraught/sad.... and I'm always so tempted to say "don't be sad... don't cry..." but I guess I have to let everyone react and let them feel and try to reach in and feel it myself...
Links:
• http://www.visitrochester.com/
• http://www.chuckecheese.com/

[PHOTO ALBUM] MY FRIENDS

posted Saturday, 9 July 2005
Photo Album

clear margins(?)... er+... her-2/neu-

posted Friday, 8 July 2005

I don't have a full copy of my pathology report, but i spoke to dr d today... here's the latest...

• the margins of the tumor appear to be clear (this is a good thing)
• in the surgery, they took out a margin of tissue around the tumor, to "make sure they got it all".  the pathologist examines the tissues all around the edge to make sure there are no cancer cells.  if they find any, they may need to do a re-excision or mastectomy (aka - more surgery)
• the tumor is estrogen receptor positive (er+) (this is a good thing)
• • this means that my breast cancer cells have estrogen receptors. Breast cancer cells that are ER+ depend on estrogen to grow.
  • Anti-estrogen hormonal therapy (like tamoxifen) blocks the receptors or reduces the amount of estrogen that can get into the receptors. As a result, the cancer cells may shrink or die.
• the tumor is her-2/neu negative (this is a good thing)
  • HER-2 is a gene that helps control how cells grow, divide, and repair themselves. The HER-2 gene directs the production of special proteins, called HER-2 receptors, in cancer cells.Cancers with too many copies of the HER-2 gene or too many HER-2 receptors tend to grow fast. They are also associated with an increased risk of spread.
  • there is a new drug (herceptin) that works well against this type of cancer, but since mine is negative, we don't have to worry about it!

Links

• ER+: http://www.breastcancer.org/cancer_hormone_receptors.html
• HER-2/NEU: http://www.breastcancer.org/her2_status.html

Waiting

posted Thursday, 7 July 2005

I'm waiting for final pathology results from the surgery.  From a preliminary look, Dr D was able to tell me the following:
They removed ~14 lymph nodes.  Of these, one was positive (meaning it had cancer in it).  They believe breast cancer spreads to your body through the lymphatic system, so they classify cancers based on:

1. The size of the tumor
2. Involvement of the lymph nodes
3. Whether it has metasticized (spread to other organs)

I don't have an official word, but my understanding right now is that mine is:

1. Likely to be under 2 cm (which rules out Stage III, which is for tumors > 5cm
2. The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, but only 1 was positive (so that means Stage II, as opposed to Stage I, if the lymph nodes were clean or Stage III, if many lymph nodes were involved)
3. None of my other organs showed signs of cancer (if they had, that puts you in Stage IV)

So my *expert* opinion is Stage II invasive ductal carcinoma (which is the last of the "early stages")... I will be meeting with an oncologist in the near future and discussing what type of chemo (how often, how long, which drugs). 
There is apparently some confusion about whether the "margins" of the tumor were clean.  They take out a substantial margin of "normal breast tissue" around the tumor to make sure that they "got it all".  The pathology report was contradictory, so Dr D is trying to follow up with the pathologist.  If the margins are not clean, they will need to do a follow-up surgery (but we may start the chemo first, giving me some more time to heal from the initial surgery before we do that). 
That's all I know for now...
Here are the links for my fellow dorks: 

http://www.breastcancer.org/cmn_sta_idx.html
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/breast/Patient/page2

Bob Evans

posted Tuesday, 5 July 2005

my parents decided to stay one extra day (originally, they planned to leave on monday). tuesday morning, on their way out of town, mom wanted to hit bob evans for breakfast, one last time. i went with them and enjoyed a farmers market omelette (no mushrooms, of course). as we were finishing breakfast, we noticed a woman behind us who appeared to be in "treatment". she was fairly young and i decided to go talk to her. i had not yet found an oncologist in south jersey (since my surgeon is in princeton, she was unable to make a referral off the cuff).
i approached the 2 women, a bit timid, and asked "pardon me, but do you live in the area?" thinking they were about to win a prize, they replied "yes - in tabernacle". "well, i don't mean to be intrusive, but i'd like to ask you a personal question. i was just diagnosed with breast cancer two weeks ago and i was wondering where you go for your treatment...." woah. well, annette asked me to sit down and introduced me to her mother florence. i pointed at my parents across the way and she insisted that they come join us. an hour later, we asked the waitress to bring annette a new breakfast (she hadn't taken a bite of her eggs) and we said good-bye to my new friend.
annette was initially diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 30 (which is totally random, since so few women experience this before they turn 40). she had a lumpectomy, chemo & radiation at that time (with two young children at home!) this january, 13 years later, she found another lump - a more aggressive kind of cancer. after a double mastectomy & chemo, she has just finished with treatment.
anyways, her oncologist works in mt holly, 2 miles from my new house. he is the same md who treated her the first time around. she recommended either him or another md in the practice (who specializes in breast cancer). not only is the practice 5 minutes from my house, they accept my insurance! what a blessing. they are affiliated with fox chase cancer center, in philadelphia. i have an appt with dr cairoli next friday (july 15).
annette's outlook was really encouraging. she was honest ("i won't lie - there will be days that you will think - i can't do it anymore... i can't go back for another round of treatment") but encouraging ("but you'll get through it... and you'll be back to your old self before you know it"...and... "no worries - you've got really good ears", in reference to sporting the bald look). i also think it was reassuring to my parents to see her... and see how great she looks (despite the fact that she said it was her "tired day") and now know that i have someone nearby to call upon.
two months ago, i never would have imagined approaching a random stranger like that in a restaurant. in just one month, i've already noticed a change in my take on things. why waste time beating around the bush and risking a miscommunication? say what you have to say - the worst that can happen is that the person is not receptive to what you have to say... or they say no... either way, you are no worse off than you were to begin with.
but annette was receptive - in fact, she called me that afternoon. she thanked me for coming up to talk to her "if i can't help someone else through this, than i have gone through it in vain". she offered to come to my first appt with the onc... an offer which i plan to take her up on.
neither one of us planned to be at bob evans that day... but for some reason, we both wound up there. and i am glad that we did.
Links:
• Fox Chase Virtua Health: http://www.virtua.org/page.cfm?id=cancer_home
• Bob Evans: http://www.bobevans.com/

The Drain

posted Monday, 4 July 2005

Ok, so having them make two 2-inch incisions in your body and remove tissue could prove to be a bit uncomfortable.  However, it was the "side-effects" of the surgery that caused more discomfort than the actual surgery itself.  Which, I guess is a good thing and means Dr D knows what she's doing.  Some valuable lessons I've learned about major surgery:

• General Anesthesia sucks -  Not only did it make me sick, I am sure it killed brain cells.  I was in a haze all week long.
• Valium, Morphine & Percocet work - I am all about "just saying NO" in my daily life... but in this instance, I just said YES.  Granted, I only took the perc for a few days, but I don't think I would have been off the couch on day 2 without it (though I'm sure I was *supposed* to stay on the couch!)
• If they tell you to take a "stool softener" because of the anesthesia, don't forget too - No further explaination needed
• Don't use white sports tape to tape gauze to your underarm & breast - There is a reason they use pre-wrap under that stuff when they wrap your ankle... not only does it pull out hair, but the tape can pull off skin, causing tape-burn.
• The "Drain" is a drain - Ok, so you leave the hospital with this "drain" hanging out of your armpit, just below the incision.  The drain is to collect fluid and blood that would otherwise either seep out of the wound or collect under your skin.  So I can see the benefits.  The drain is a clear plastic tube (the width of a drinking straw) that is implanted under your incision.  At the end of the tube is a clear rubber bobble (like on a turkey baster), that collects the drainage & you empty it periodically.  At home, I safety-pinned the drain to my shirt, but in public, I tried to tuck it in my pocket.  Of course, forget about this trick when you go to the ladies room and you'll be reminded right quick.  As long as the drain is in, you can't shower.  So not only did I look super-hot with this drain, I stunk too... The gentleman callers were banging down my door!  My drain was in for nearly a week.  Dr D met me on Monday, July 4 to take it out.  As we are about to get started she says "Now this may smart a little" YEOW!  Understatement!  She yanks on the drain, saying "you'll see in a minute why this hurt so much".  She has pulled out a 2 inch rectangle of plastic with little holes in it that was stuck inside of me... no wonder every move hurt... no wonder the removal (square peg through a round hole) hurt... but it did feel good to finally have it out!

It's now one week since the surgery.  While the incisions are still a bit sore (especially the one under my arm), I am feeling much more like my normal self.  I am trying not to do too much with that arm (with the lymph node removal, I am at risk for some serious swelling in that arm, so I have to be smart) while getting settled in my new home. 
If you want to see the incisions, just ask... but you may want to plug your nose though... no deodarant in that armpit and it's been pretty warm out!
Relevant Links:  http://www.breastcancer.org/tre_surg_drains.html

Moving on Up

posted Friday, 1 July 2005

So nothing takes the stress out of your first-time home purchase and move like scheduling surgery for the same week... but thanks to tons of support from friends and family, it all worked out fine.
HUGE KUDOS/THANKS TO:

• Mom & Dad (for packing, moving, unpacking, cleaning, fixing, hanging, shopping and most of all caring)
• Maupin (for accompanying, entertaining & flowering)
• Robin & Katie (for packing and entertaining)
• Heaton (for packing, moving, assembling, shopping, organizing & of course, "prospecting")
• Nancy & Joe (for moving, mowing)
• Brian & Susan (for room-mating, moving, donating and cleaning)
• Brian & Jaeger (for flowering)
• ZS friends (for flowering & grilling)
• Bill & Abby (for exploring, lunching, moving, screening, gardening & hosing)
• College Grads Movers: Mark, Tyrone & Ernest (for a bang-up job with the move)
• Crash (for fireworking & ice creaming)
• All my other friends & family (for calling, emailing, & caring)

My new address:

Linda Casill
139 Sharpless Blvd
Mount Holly, NJ 08060